Organic charge transfer solution battery



United States Patent ice :511 312 I preferred. The solvent should be of'th'e amine type prefer- ,947 'entially of the tertiary-'heterocyclic amiiietype, with ORGANIC CHARGE TRANSFER pyridine the most preferred material. Other amines indi- SOLUTION BATTERY Norvell E. Wisdom, Jr., Elizabeth, and Eric 0. Forster, Scotch Plains, N.J., assignors to Esso Research and cated to be suitable as-the solvent are mainly tertiary and 5 secondary amines, such as piperylene, .piperidine,'pyrol- Engineering Company, a corporation f Delaware lidine, tetramethylethylene' diamine. The ring compounds No Drawing. Filed Sept. 2, 1966, Sei'.No. 576,838 g r a have a hydrocarbon substitoont g p U.S. Cl. 136100 6 Claims plcoline.

Int. Cl. H01m 17/02 1 I The solute should be selected'from the halogen family 10 and pseudo-halogens with-iodine the preferred material.

The invention is illustrated by the following results:

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE TABLE I A battery having as an electrolyte a solution of molec- Anode Cathode Charge transfer Voltage ular halogen in an amine solvent, an anode of an electrosolution positive metal which dissolves into said solution and a Magnesium Platinum Pyridineliodmmun L6 chemically inert cathode has been found to be an effec- T do do 1.0 tive system for the production of electrical energy. 8:23

The specific working of this invention can be illustrated This invention relates to the discovery of a new class by the following Sample of a ee11 oPeratiI1g Under fixof electric cells or batteries consisting essentially of an terhet toad- Theeleetrolyte Contained 220 of lodlne electropositive metal anode, an inert cathode, and a solu- P hter of pyrldmo. Arhegrleslum electrode (e area tion of iodine or other halogen in pyridine or other suita- 5 ch12) teelrlg Platlrlurrl electrode 511111131 h faCe ble amine solvent as a charge transfer solution. area t 5 distance from e other, Immersed 111 the For an amine to serve as a suitable solvent, it should ahoYe'ldehtlfied electrolyte dehvered PP Y 15 be an organic liquid which dissolves the halogen as new mllharhperes through a 100 Ohm reslstance f r ral tral molecules and forms therewith a solution that does hours- Similar results were obtained f o a tut-Platinum not spontaneously react with or dissolve the electroposi- Cell except that the current was 7 mllhemps and Surfaee tive metal anode. The amine preferably should dissolve areeless than 3 r the reaction product formed by reaction of the halogen Instead otithe lrlert Pletlrlum electrode, use e l be made with metal dissolved in the amine-halogen solution when of carbon or metals other than Platlnum whleh r also electrons are removed from the anode in a circuit which Preferably inactive towards shonteheous dlssohltloh y outside the cell conducts the electrons back to the cathode the Charge transfer helogen'amllle $01l1t10l1- which conducts the electrons into the solution. T p eferred anodesfor the cells or batteries 11 t Electropositjve t l are those metals hi h than 0 halogen-amine solution in combination therewith for high hydrogen in the or electromotive force series of voltage are the'metets at least ashlgh the-electroelements because they have a tendency to form positive motive Series, lnehldlrlg megneslum, eadmlum, Z1116, a111- ions in aqueous solution with removal of the charge from rhlhhrh, alloys t erhalgems t h S- These m tals the hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution. In this reaction, 40 have Standard oXldetloIl potentrale 111 the range of to a negative charge is given up t h b lk of h active 3. O5 measured under standardized conditions at 25 C. metal, which then acts as an anode conducting anodic w reference to hydrogen-hydrogen 1011 as a Zero P current by removal of electrons therefrom if another electlel p trode acting as a cathode in the solution returns the nega- The Preferred eetlve rhetehehodee e n y torrr} with tive charge to positive ions, e, I-I+ i moving i the halide ion complexes which remain dissolved n the contact with the cathode. Problems encountered with the amlrle Solvent, Complexes Whleh r not p p e use of aqueous solutions as electrolytes in a battery are Battery Systems p y r the deserlhed halogen-err'lllle the tendency of the metal ions to form insoluble products .sohltlons e usethl where e e h h voltegels deelred which adhere to th a d h l i i l i in a circuit and where low variation in current is desired. tion, the tendency of the positive ions to form a localized The cells deserlhed e P tree of y concentration or a layer on the cathode, thus repelling other Such Substances wlth no gaseous deeorhposltlon positive ions in what is known as polarization, and the Product formed to h removed or eeeufhlllated- Thus, generation of gas layers which obstruct contact of an theseeehsfllnetlorlwlthremarkeblereg111er1telectrode with the solutions. Accordingly, batteries that e meehehlem of how the h operate 15 dlthelllt to use aqueous electrolytes give adiminishing voltage. g1ve In an detells P the lf t can be regarded to A obj t; of th present i ti i t provide a b involve the formation of halide ions from the molecular tery system with a voltage that is more suitably close to halogen dlssolved 1n the amlhe So1 Ver1t Y addltlon of constant fo a relatively long i d, f bl a i electrons from the cathode. The liquid amine solvent may bly high voltage and suitably high r t, act to transfer the electrons toward the anode in an un- A system consisting of an active electropositive metal usual manner, wlthollt deperldlhg on Slow mlgretlorl electrode and an inert electrode immersed in a solution of Charged Particles through the solhtiofl, so that the Po of halogen in a suitable liquid organic amine has been tive metal 10118 from th anode l y form the hallde found to function as an electric battery. The active eleceomplexee as the Posltlve metal are o Thus, tropositive metal serving as the anode is selected from the eleetrle Current (electrons) effect 15 transferred among the following: Li, K, Ba, Sr, Ca, N M A1, Z through the am ne-halogen solution from the cathode to Cd, Sn and any other such metal ot belonging t th the anode and is conducted externally of the cell from class of metals forming passive fil s s h as th bl the active anode back nto the pass ve cathode which conmetals, the iron group metals, chromium, and vanadium. ducts the Current e n t lut n.

The organic solution .should be as concentrated as pos- What is claimed is:

sible to produce a minimum internal resistance. In gen- 1. An electric battery, in combination therewith an eral, its conductivity should be of the order of 10 (ohm amine solution of molecular halogen, an electropositive cm.) or higher with a range of 10- to 10 or higher metal anode which dissolves into said solution when electrons are removed from the anode and a chemically inert cathode, said solution being in contact with the anode and cathode to transfer an electric current through the solution from the cathode to the anode.

2. A battery set forth in claim 1, said anode containing a metal of the group lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium, barium, magnesium, strontium, zinc, aluminum, cadmium, and tin, the halogen in the amine solution being iodine, and the cathode being a conductor of electricity which does not react with the solution.

3. A battery set forth in claim 1, said amine solution having a conductivity of more than 10- (ohm cm.)-

4. A battery set forth in claim 1, said amine solution being a solution of a halogen in a liquid amine which dissolves a reaction product formed by reaction of the halogen with metal dissolved from the anode when electrons are removed from the anode and electrons are conducted by the cathode into the solution.

5. An electric battery set forth in claim 1, the amine positive metal in the anode being selected from magnesium, tin, zinc, and aluminum.

6. An electric battery, in combination therewith a magnesium anode spaced from a chemically inactive cathode in a charge transfer pyridine solution of molecular iodine.

References Cited WINSTON A. DOUGLAS, Primary Examiner.

C. F. LE FEVOUR, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

solution being a pyridine solution of iodine, the electro- 20 136-155, 102 

